"Linguistics is arguably the most hotly contested property in the academic realm. It is soaked with the blood of poets, theologians, philosophers, philologists, psychologists, biologists, anthropologists, and neurologists, along with whatever blood can be got out of grammarians."- Russ Rymer

Who knew linguistics was such a hotbed of activity?

It's a funny image--gangs of scholars in tweed and khaki dueling with quills and fierce verbal jousting.

How could the scientific study of language incite intense animosity?

The power of language is in its dichotomy--while on one hand it creates beauty and potential, on the other it is derisive and divides us.

Keeping in mind the thought, 'The pen is mightier than the sword', I'd like to examine the eight most counterproductive words as applied to persuasion.

Consistency, confidence and congruency are the most important tools for speaking with our affluent prospects and these eight words erode all three of these.

Every single one of these words has an exception, and feel free to explore and discover the exceptions and use them to your advantage.

If you're just starting out in persuasion, these are most definitely words you need to avoid because they have a way of backfiring.

Understanding the importance of rapport is key. After that, gaining and keeping rapport can be quite tricky.

Persuasion, done well, starts off as a very weak force. In fact, it's a magnetic force where you're drawing them to you. You do that through rapport so that the affluent think you are them.

Stumbles and blunders in language such as these eight words can stop the rapport from flowing. They cut it off at the knees, so to speak, and cast doubt upon you. That's why I call them 'dangerous'.

BUT.

'But' cancels out everything that was said before it.

"I like you, but..." What am I saying? I don't like you.

"Your product seems to fit my needs, but. . ." I'm not going to buy it.

As you can see 'but' cancels out absolutely everything before it. It's all gone.

TRY.

There is no such thing as try. Try doesn't really exist. Try always presupposes failure, so you've tried and tried and tried and tried. You either do it, or you don't do it. You either are or are not. You are not in the middle.

On an advanced level, I love the word try and I use it all the time.

IF.

'If' weakens what you're saying. In that way, it's a lot like 'try' in presupposing that you 'might not' do as you say.

"If you like what I'm telling you about today, maybe you'd like to see about possibly, you know, signing up."

Is that confidence? Is that reassuring to hear? Nope.

'If' is a weak, weasley little word. It doesn't support self-confidence, doesn't support you having a strong intention. It gives people an out, it gives yourself an out.

MIGHT.

'Might' is a wishy-washy word.

"I might buy your product." Give me an answer!!!

Don't let these little linguistical pitfalls take away your personal power. When you speak authoritatively, you garner the respect of the affluent. The reward for this is their business.